Plymouth to host World Juniors evaluation camp

Firing the puck against Michigan’s goalie last season is NTDP U18s forward Kieffer Bellows, who will take part in the USA Hockey junior evaluation camp beginning later this month.(Photo: RENA LAVERTY | USA HOCKEY)

Spending hours inside a hockey arena isn’t what most people put at the top of their to-do list for late July or early August.

But they might want to make an exception, with Plymouth’s USA Hockey Arena poised to host an evaluation camp that will feature 42 top under-20 American players battling for a spot on the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team.

USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp is set to take place from July 30 through Aug. 6 at the arena on Beck Road just south of Five Mile Road. There will be doubleheaders nearly each day of the camp, pitting games between the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden.

“These are absolutely our top under-20 players in the country,” said Jim Johannson, USA Hockey assistant executive director for hockey operations. “These guys are one or two years removed from stepping on the ice in the NHL in a couple cases, it’s exciting hockey.

“This is the camp that Dylan Larkin was playing at last year.”

Johannson, also general manager of the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team, chuckled when he brought up Larkin’s name.

Last summer, Larkin was a relative unknown in Hockeytown, having just finished his freshman season at Michigan.

The forward from Waterford went on to go to training camp with the NHL team, made the opening day roster and stayed with Detroit all season — thus making him unavailable to skate for the U.S. in the 2016 World Juniors.

Dylan Larkin is a Detroit Red Wings standout these days, but last summer he took part in USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp.(Photo: TOM SORENSON)

This year’s group of American players looking to open some eyes include 35 who have been drafted by NHL teams, including 22 recently selected at the NHL Draft in Buffalo.

Familiar faces

Among those players are forwards Kieffer Bellows (New York Islanders), Clayton Keller (Arizona) and Trent Frederic (Boston), who all skated for the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 squad in 2015-16.

All told, 11 members of the NTDP U18s will take part in the camp. Others include forward Joey Anderson; defensemen Adam Fox, J.D. Greenway, Chad Krys, Ryan Lindgren, Luke Martin; goalies Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll.

Players from colleges and major junior circuits such as the Ontario Hockey League also will participate.

“It’s players from everywhere,” Johannson noted. “Max Jones is from London, Christian Fisher played in Windsor, (former NTDP player) Matthew Tkachuk played in London last year. ... And then there’s college guys.”

Fans will get the chance to watch two games for the price of one (just $5 from Sunday, July 31 through Friday, July 5; admission is $15 for the Saturday, July 6 twinbill, featuring U.S. vs. Canada at 7 p.m.) and they won’t be disappointed.

“It’s great hockey,” Johannson said. “I think with Sweden, Finland, Canada, it’s all perennial contenders for the championship. Almost all of the guys have been drafted pretty high in the NHL Draft on all of the rosters.

“It’s very competitive hockey in August. ... Guys play extremely hard and have a lot on the line at the camp.”

Among players vying for a spot on the U.S. World Juniors team this year is forward Clayton Keller (No. 19), shown playing for the NTDP U18s against Michigan in January.(Photo: RENA LAVERTY | USA HOCKEY)

According to Johannson, U.S. head coach Bob Motzko and his assistants will use the evaluation camp to trim the number of hopefuls from 42 to about 30.

“We’ll have the camp there (in Plymouth) and then everyone goes back to their respective teams,” Johannson explained. “And then we’ll gather again around Dec. 16, 17 and have a much smaller number (of players).”

The top 23 players ultimately will be named to play in the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, slated from Dec. 26 through next Jan. 5 in Montreal and Toronto.

For a number of years, the evaluation camp has taken place in Lake Placid, N.Y., on an Olympic-sized sheet of ice. But because this year’s World Juniors is taking place at NHL arenas (Montreal’s Bell Centre, Toronto’s Air Canada Centre), it was deemed prudent to hold the camp on a NHL-sized rink, which USA Hockey Arena has.

“The tournament the next three years is on NHL ice,” Johannson added. “It made a lot more sense for us to put the competition on NHL ice.”

Who: Forty-two American hockey players under age 20 will convene for a week of scrimmages, after which coaches will pick the top 30 or so to continue skating toward the goal of playing for the U.S. World Junior team this winter. Former U.S. NTDP players such as Kieffer Bellows, Clayton Keller and Matthew Tkachuk will lace up the skates; all were drafted by NHL teams in late June.

Opponents: The U.S. will face teams from Canada, Sweden and Finland, with doubleheaders each day beginning Sunday, July 31. The highlight of the schedule will be 7 p.m. Aug. 6, when the U.S. faces Canada.

Prices: All sessions are two games for the price of one and will be for general admission seating, with the exception of Saturday, Aug. 6 (reserved seating, $15). Parking is free each day until Aug. 6 ($5).